Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Markus Lauridsen skated for Linkoping’s U20 team in his third season with the Swedish club and represented Denmark in the 2010 Division 1 Group A World Junior Championship. He had 3 assists and was plus-2 with 12 penalty minutes in 37 SuperElit league games. Linkopings was fifth in the regular season and reached the playoff quarterfinals. In six playoff games Lauridsen was minus-1 with no points and 2 penalty minutes. He had 3 assists and was plus-3 with 4 penalty minutes in five games for Denmark’s U20 team. Denmark was 4-1 and finished second to Germany in the tournament.

2010-11: Lauridsen played for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in his first season in North America and again skated for Denmark in the Division 1 Group A World Junior Championship. He played in 44 of 60 games for Green Bay and scored 5 goals with 5 assists; finishing plus-4 with 16 penalty minutes in the regular season. The Gamblers finished second in the Eastern Division and reached the Clark Cup finals against Dubuque. Lauridsen was plus-6 with 4 assists in 11 playoff games. He had 1 goal with 6 assists and was plus-5 playing in the WJC as Denmark finished first in the tournament in Slovenia. He committed to joining his older brother Oliver at St. Cloud State in 2012-13.

2011-12: Lauridsen returned to Green Bay for a second season as the Gamblers dominated the USHL – finishing with the league’s best record and capturing the Clark Cup playoff title. In 58 regular season games Lauridsen scored 6 goals with 24 assists and was plus-32 with 32 penalty minutes. He scored 3 goals with 1 assist and was plus-10 with 8 penalty minutes in 11 playoff games.

2012-13: Lauridsen attended training camp with Lake Erie, foregoing a college hockey career, and signed an AHL contract with the Monsters. He concluded the season representing Denmark in the 2013 IIHF World Championship. Loaned to the Central Hockey League’s Denver Cutthroats to start the season due to the NHL lockout, he appeared in two games with the Monsters in November before joining Lake Erie for good in January. He had 12 assists and an even plus/minus with 16 penalty minutes in 36 AHL games. Playing in the CHL with Denver, Lauridsen scored 6 goals with 9 assists and was plus-2 with 14 penalty minutes in 30 games. Lauridsen skated in seven games for Denmark and was minus-1 with 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Colorado in March, 2013.

2013-14: Lauridsen skated in 39 games for Colorado AHL affiliate Lake Erie in his second pro season; missing nearly six weeks after suffering an upper body injury in January. He scored 3 goals with 9 assists and was minus-10 with 14 penalty minutes. The Monsters missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fourth in the North Division.

Talent Analysis

Lauridsen is the prototypical big defenseman with a booming shot from the point. He more than often makes the safe play out to keep the puck of his own zone but is sometimes careless; creating turnovers in the neutral zone and in his own end.

Future

Lauridsen attended training camp with the Avalanche before being assigned to AHL affiliate Lake Erie and starting the 2014-15 season with the Monsters. Now in the second year of his original two-year entry-level contact he is seeing steady ice time at the AHL level and has shown improvement in his three years of pro hockey. At this point he is in a battle with several other prospects to advance in the Colorado system. Long-term he could see time down in a lower-pairing role at the NHL level one day but he could just as likely be a career AHL player or someone who plays out his career in Europe.